Is my car possessed or does the seat belt tensioner kick in a bit early. I've had 3 people in my car say "wow! the seat belt just tightened up on me". My mom kind of freaked out a bit when it happened.

 

I've had that happen in the drivers seat. the seat bealt hasn't pulled in but it wont release any tension. sorta freaks ya out. I tyr pulling it out and it won't budge for a while.

 

The seatbelt tensioner system apparently has the equivalent of an accelerometer and is just sensing a sudden acceleration or deceleration. When you go over bumps in the road, especially with stiffer suspension vehicles, the tensioner can "lock up" the seatbelt for safety reasons. It doesn't know that the sudden deceleration is not due to an accident. If you just sit back and relax for a second, the belt should become free again.

I've had this happen several times when I'm trying to lean forward to get a good view while merging onto a street and I hit a stiff bump at the same time. I can't lean forward any further to look out better until I get it re-set. Safety features working in reverse, I guess.

Be safe out there!
WayneTN